The start of 2023 is an opportunity to look forward to the year ahead and gives my team here at Bradford Estates the chance to build on the progress made since the estate moved farming in-hand for the first time in 40 years.

My role is fairly unique in UK farming, having overseen the transition from contract to in-hand farming. As farms director, I drive our strategic vision to create a market-leading agri-business.

See also: Autumn-sown crops fare well after mild weather

About the author

Oliver Scott

Oliver Scott is farms director at Bradford Estates, responsible for managing 2,000ha of its 4,800ha area on the Shropshire and Staffordshire border. Cropping includes winter barley, oilseed rape, winter wheat, spring beans, spring barley, maize, lettuce and potatoes across mainly sandy loam soils. Other enterprises include a sheep flock and a business-to-business seed company.

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After working in Africa, Australia and, most recently, East Anglia, I was excited about the prospect of moving to Shropshire in 2021.

Here, I had the opportunity to plan a five-year initial business plan as I got to know the land.

The crops were initially in the ground under contract farming arrangements, so as a team we had to learn quickly when we took over after the 2021 harvest.

We can look forward with confidence having completed the first harvest in generations to be done under our direct control.

We now have 2,000ha within the newly incorporated, regenerative in-hand farm, comprising arable, agri-environment and pasture.

There is a range of winter and spring cropping in a nine-year rotation with mixed cover crops grazed off by 300 New Zealand Romney ewes in front of all spring crops.

The crops that had gone in during the autumn of 2021 did well, despite the dry weather throughout last spring and summer.

We were nervous about yields, but the harvest came in well, with winter wheat yields of 8.6t/ha.

Working to its 100-year plan, the estates’ stewardship is centered around delivering a legacy for generations to come by using sustainable practices across its activities.

Driven by the principle of looking after tomorrow, we aim to become a centre of farming excellence in the West Midlands.

This year promises to be another one of progress. We look forward to the opportunities ahead.